CHAPTER FIVE
Chart 5. 2: Middleton commissioning activity
Service Supplier Date of Funding
Approval Funding (£) Flexible Transport GMPTE January 2008 1,000
IT Lessons Demesne February 2008 3,000
Armchair Exercise Healthy Living Initiative March 2008 4,355
Rochdale Borough
Shopping Link GMPTE March 2008 5,000
Rochdale Borough
Shopping Link GMPTE July 2008 2,500
Carers Support Carers Resource March 2008 4,800
Moorclose Junction and Baytree Tenants
and Residents Association (MJBTRA ): Gentle Exercise
MJBTRA March 2008 3,450
Podiatry Wood Clough March 2008 3,000
Volunteer Driver
Scheme Community TransportNew Heart Heywood March 2008 4,550
Brookside Transport GMPTE April 2008 1,560
Demesne ICT Class
Transport GMPTE June 2008 1,560
Clough Court /D’Oliveira Court
Gentle Exercise Transport
GMPTE June 2008 1,560
Hutton Care Transport GMPTE August 2008 1,380
Armchair Exercise Healthy Living Initiative August 2008 4,590
Luncheon Club Demesne Community
Centre August 2008 7,315
IT Lessons Step by Step IT August 2008 3,600
Flexible Transport
Top-Up GMPTE August 2008 1,250
VDS Co-ordinator GMPTE August 2008 4,800
Arts and Crafts Hollin Estate Management
Board December 2008 4,900
Project Specific: VDS
Vehicle GMPTE January 2009 3,500
Project Specific:
Demesne IT Transport GMPTE January 2009 3,744
TOTAL SPENT £71,411
It is also interesting to note that many of the activities have been delivered through commissioning GMPTE to provide necessary transport. As an example, Brookside Transport has involved GMPTE transporting a group of POPP members to Brookside Community Centre so that they could access a luncheon club. This activity has been taking place for a year, and without the transport element, POPP members would not have been able to access this service. Similarly, POPP members in Middleton were able to access exercise classes at Clough Court and D’Oliveira Court (via GMPTE transport), and IT classes at Demesne Community Centre.
The commissioning of the Podiatry Service is unique to the Middleton TOPP, and demonstrated the way in which transport services have been used to enhance the impact of commissioned services. Middleton TOPP was able to offer a subsidised nail clipping service with a qualified podiatrist to local people. Two afternoons per week at a local Podiatry clinic were set aside purely for the use of local POPP members, some of whom were collected from home by POPP transport, dropped off at a clinic where they have their toe nails clipped by a fully qualified chiropodist, and then returned home. The Middleton TOPP consider that, in addition to enhancing the ease with which older people can walk about, the subsidised Podiatry Service reduces social isolation, as well as reduce the likelihood of falls.
Commissioning from Rochdale TOPP
Rochdale TOPP had an indicative budget of £164,000 over the course of the POPP pilot, and directly commissioned services to the value of £79,483.
Rochdale TOPP have spent around half their allocated budget on transport- related activities. This is slightly more than both the Heywood TOPP and Middleton TOPP and further underlines the immense importance of the Transport element of the POPP project in enabling older people to access services and facilities. The remaining funds have been spent on a combination
of Information Technology (IT), Armchair Exercise, Gentle Exercise, Luncheon Clubs, Massage Therapy and Arts and Craft activities (Table 5.3). Table 5.3:Rochdale commissioning activity
Service Supplier Date of Funding
Approval Funding (£) Flexible Transport GMPTE January 2008 2,000
Luncheon Club Wardleworth Community
Centre January 2008 2,400
Armchair Exercise Castlemere Community
Centre February 2008 3,353
Armchair Exercise BACP February 2008 3,900
Volunteer Driver
Scheme (VDS) GMPTE March 2008 5,000
Rochdale Borough
Shopping Link GMPTE March 2008 5,000
Syke Gentle Exercise Syke Community Base March 2008 3,950
Luncheon Club Khubsurat House (St Vincents Housing
Association)
April 2008 3,380
Kirkholt Church
Friendship GMPTE April 2008 3,744
Gentle Exercise Fieldway Gentle Exercise April 2008 1,488
Armchair Exercise Healthy Living Initiative August 2008 6,650
Arts and Crafts Alice Ingham Court August 2008 3,130
Rochdale Borough
Shopping Link GMPTE June 2008 2,500
Meadowfields Friday
Luncheon Club GMPTE June 2008 1,560
Meadowfields Tuesday Luncheon
Club
GMPTE June 2008 1,560
Flexible Transport
Top-Up GMPTE August 2008 1,250
VDS Co-ordinator GMPTE August 2008 8,200
Meadowfields Tai Chi Transport
GMPTE September 2008 1,700
IT Lessons in 3 Venues Step by Step IT October 2008 8,400
Massage Therapy Derek Walker Court October 2008 3,468
Required VDS Vehicle GMPTE January 2009 4,500
Armchair Exercise Healthy Living Initiative January 2009 2,350
TOTAL SPENT £79,483
Commissioning by Rochdale TOPP: A discussion
A number of the commissioned activities have taken place in community centres in Castlemere (Armchair Exercise) and Wardleworth (Luncheon Club), which mainly serve the needs of local South Asian communities. Hence the commissioning of activities within these facilities is a valuable step in supporting the needs of local BME communities.
The Armchair Exercise provided at the Bangladeshi Association Community Project (BACP) is a particularly useful facility, as the venue (located in the Wardleworth/Hamer district) is staff by workers fluent in Bangla. Given the tightly knit nature of the older Bangladeshi community, many of whom are not fluent in English, it is particularly valuable to have staff in place who can communicate freely with Bangladeshi elders. It has been reported by the TOPP Development Worker that participants have been able to do various physical exercises, as a consequence of taking part in Armchair Exercises, such as raised arm movements, which they were previously unable to carry out.
One of the innovative findings to emerge has been that the tutor who has led Rochdale TOPP-funded Armchair Exercises for Healthy Living Initiative has also carried out the same function for BACP. During the course of leading classes at BACP, a local volunteer from the Bangladeshi community has been taught how to deliver the classes. Hence BACP have gained an extremely valuable asset from Rochdale TOPP commissioning in the form of a bilingual tutor who can continue to deliver Armchair Exercise classes.
In addition, BACP provides a wealth of other non-POPP funded activities, such as ESOL classes, gym facilities, a luncheon club (providing halal food), crèche facilities and Arts and Crafts. Through accessing the POPP- commissioned Armchair Exercise, Bangladeshi elders have the opportunity to engage with a variety of other activities in an environment in which they are
comfortable. Furthermore there is also clear opportunities for making new social contacts and become more engaged with local activities.
Khubsurat House (run by St Vincent’s Housing Association) is situated in the Milkstone/Deeplish area, and is the first sheltered accommodation in the North West of England to provide housing predominantly for people from BME communities moving out of their homes. It is home to people from diverse communities, including Pakistanis, Kenyans, Nigerians, Indians as well as White British communities. The provision of a Luncheon Club is an interesting development, in that the food is drawn from different ethnic groups as a means of bringing the whole community together.
TOPP-commissioned services are also delivered to three places of sheltered accommodation: Derek Walker Court (Massage Therapy); Alice Ingham Court (Arts and Crafts) and Fieldway (Gentle Exercise). In general terms, most of the POPP members using these activities live within or near to where they are offered. However, if a POPP member in another part of the Rochdale Township wished to attend and this was reported to the TOPP by the outreach worker, then the Transport Co-ordinator would arrange cost- effective transport through Community Transport, Ring and Ride or the VDS. Should a group of POPP members express such an interest, then this would be commissioned by the TOPP, who would draw upon the Transport Co- ordinator to look at cost-effective options drawn from Community Transport operators, Ring and Ride for a set number of weeks.
Commissioning from Pennines TOPP
Pennines TOPP had an indicative budget of £68,000 over the course of the POPP pilot, and directly commissioned services to the value of £54,148. The following table provides a breakdown of commissioned services and activities.
Table 5.4:Pennines commissioning activity
Service Supplier Date of Funding
Approval Funding (£) Tai Chi Meadowfields Community
Centre February 2008 2,120
Flexible Transport GMPTE February 2008 1,000
Meadowfields
Transport for Tai Chi GMPTE February 2008 1,500 Armchair Exercise Healthy Living Initiative March 2008 1,860
Rochdale Borough
Shopping Link GMPTE March 2008 5,000
Volunteer Driving
Scheme GMPTE March 2008 4,500
Carers Support Carers Resource March 2008 4,800
Rochdale Borough
Shopping Link GMPTE June 2008 2,500
Meadowfields Lunch
Club (Tuesday) GMPTE June 2008 1,560
Meadowfields Lunch Club
(Friday)
GMPTE June 2008 1,560
St Andrews Church
Friday Lunch Club GMPTE June 2008 468
Dearnley Friendship Club (Tuesday) GMPTE June 2008 1,560 St Andrews Church Wednesday Lunch Club GMPTE June 2008 468
IT Lessons Saxon House July 2008 3,500
Dancing Spiral Dancing August 2008 1,955.50
Meadowfields Tai Chi
Transport (2) GMPTE September 2008 1,700 Volunteer Driving
Scheme Co-ordinator GMPTE September 2008 3,400 Armchair Exercise:
Wardle and Smallbridge Community Centre /
Braddock Close
Link 4 Life November 2008 4,596.80
IT Lessons: Transport
for Hollingworth GMPTE November 2008 2,400 Flexible Transport:
Top Up GMPTE January 2009 1,250
Arts and Crafts Step by Step January 2009 6,400
TOTAL SPENT £54,148.30
Commissioning by Pennines TOPP: A discussion
It can be seen that the Pennines TOPP has placed considerable emphasis on providing Tai Chi at Meadowfields Community Centre, and this service has involved considerable commissioning from both the provider of Tai Chi classes, as well as from GMPTE in arranging transport provision to and from Meadowfields. An evaluation of Tai Chi provision is one of the case studies within this final POPP report, and it can be seen to have had a considerable impact upon improving the balance and general mobility of participants. These improvements are closely related to a reduced incidence of falls among older people.
An interesting feature of Pennines TOPP commissioning has been the development of services within Meadowfields Community Centre. Prior to the development of Rochdale POPP the Luncheon Club at Meadowfields was very much underutilised. Since funding from Pennines TOPP, the numbers of older people accessing the Luncheon Club has increased considerably, to the extent that an additional Club at the site has commenced, and is now running at full capacity. The success of the Luncheon Clubs has helped POPP members to develop social networks, and to access various other social, recreational and educational activities taking place in Meadowfields, as well as in other parts of Rochdale Borough. Indeed members of the Tai Chi group have also used the Luncheon Club on various occasions. Meadowfields Community Centre plays a key role in sign-posting to events and activities such as ‘Recycled Teenagers’ (where older people can gain advice on retirement issues around finance, pensions, luncheon clubs in different parts of the Borough), dance groups for older people (such as the Evergreen Dance Group at Sparth Community Centre in Central Rochdale), exercise groups for the over 50s and the Expert Patient Programme, whose representatives have visited Meadowfields as a means of recruiting older people. Within Meadowfields itself, other activities which may be taking place at various times include IT classes, film-making classes looking at Rochdale’s
development over time, as well as film memorabilia and a Diet and Exercise Group (‘Good Enough to Eat’).
Further innovative services include Armchair Exercise at Wardle and Smallbridge Community Centre, which is largely attended by the local Pakistani and Kashmiri community. Through discussions with POPP members in these areas, it became clear that whilst there was an expressed wish to participate in Armchair Exercise, some would-be participants were uncomfortable attending regular classes held at sports facilities in the area and provided by Link 4 Life. These misgivings were partly based upon their perception of sports centres as being places for younger people to attend, as well as concerns about the timing of classes, which generally commence during the mornings. Consequently, in an effort to develop a service centred upon the wishes of the group, Pennines TOPP arranged for Link 4 Life to deliver these services within a setting that was convenient to the participants (i.e. Wardle and Smallbridge Community Centre) during the afternoon. The result has been that the Armchair Exercise classes are very well-attended, and have achieved greater levels of participation than standard Armchair Exercise classes delivered at sport centres.
Rochdale TOPP have spent just over half of their allocated budget on transport-related activities (as a proportion of their commissioning), which is slightly more than all of the other TOPPs. This further underlines the immense importance of the Transport element of the POPP project in enabling older people to access services and facilities. The remaining funds have been spent on a combination of Tai Chi, IT, Armchair Exercise, Luncheon Clubs, Carers’ Support, Dancing and Arts and Craft activities.
In addition, Step by Step is one of the few private agencies delivering services commissioned by Pennines, Rochdale and Middleton TOPPs. The nature of the IT training provided is that it is extremely person-centred, and
participants are encouraged to develop their IT skills at their own pace. All of the IT learning is also delivered within the community at local venues.
The TOPP commissioning process
Having summarised the commissioning decisions of the TOPPs, it is useful to highlight some key reflections from this process.
Diversity of commissioning decisions
One of the most striking features has been the diversity of decision-making made by the TOPPs, and the powerful sense that the specific unmet needs of an older population within a relatively small area has produced tailored solutions to address those needs. This illustrates a sense of creativity on the part of the TOPPs in seeking to develop flexible solutions to meet challenging needs, and a commitment to put the needs of older people at the forefront of their planning decisions.
The development of Podiatry Services in Middleton, for example, reflected a high level of unmet need that was not identified in other Townships. Similarly the extensive work carried out in developing Wrigley Brook allotments in Heywood, so that older people could take part in gardening activities, was a highly creative response to a specific need that did not seem to be expressed elsewhere. Within Rochdale Township, the greater population of South Asian elders has produced tailored solutions to those needs in the form of Armchair Exercise and Luncheon Club within community centres. In Pennines Township, the development of activities at Meadowfields Community Centre has resulted in a marked increase in Luncheon Club participation, as well as imaginative use of floor space to accommodate and deliver Tai Chi exercise classes, which itself reflects a creative partnership with NHS services and the voluntary/community sector.
Effective use of transport to promote health and well-being
A common feature of each of the TOPPs has been a positive engagement with GMPTE over developing transport solutions to enhance accessibility to services and activities. The commissioning involved has been made by all of the TOPPs either on a Borough-wide basis, or else as a specific piece of commissioned transportation which operates solely within each Township. For each of the TOPPs, the amount commissioned for Borough-wide transportation services is roughly just under half of the total spent on all commissioned project services within each Township.
Shopping Link
Each of the TOPPs has commissioned the Borough-wide Shopping Link Service via GMPTE at a total cost of £30,000 (each Township contributed a proportion of the total sum reflective of their population). The Shopping Link bus enables POPP members to be picked up from their home, taken to a local supermarket where they can shop, and then conveyed home. It is particularly helpful for older people with mobility difficulties, as the vehicles are designed to carry wheelchairs, and the fares are set at a concessionary rate. Although the Shopping Link scheme has not to date been as popular as originally anticipated, it is hoped that better marketing will help to develop increased participation in the future.
Volunteer Driver Scheme
Each of the TOPPs has also commissioned the Borough-wide VDS at varying costs in relation to both the Co-ordinator and VDS costs. Contribution across Townships was based according to the number of older people aged 60 and above in each. Rochdale TOPP, which is easily the largest of the TOPPs, has spent the highest amount (£8,200 on Co-ordinator, and £5,000 on VDS). Heywood TOPP spent slightly less on both Co-ordinator and VDS (£3,600 and £4,550 respectively). Middleton TOPP spent slightly more than Heywood
TOPP on Co-ordinator and the same on VDS (£4,800 and £4,550 respectively), Pennines TOPP spent less than the others on the Co-ordinator, and the same amount as Middleton TOPP and Heywood TOPP on the VDS (i.e. £3,400 and £4,550 respectively). In addition, two of the TOPPs (Rochdale and Middleton) have together funded the purchase of a VDS vehicle, with a collective contribution of £8,000. This was a less costly option than hiring a vehicle on a long lease.
The total VDS funding comes to £46,650, which has enabled GMPTE (in collaboration with Heywood New Heart for Community Transport) to deliver a highly successful scheme which has enabled people with mobility difficulties, and for who home public transport is not appropriate, to take part in a range of health, social and community activities, and many of these journeys would not otherwise have been feasible (see Chapter Seven on Volunteer Driver Scheme).
Flexible Transport
‘Flexible Transport’ is a general term for a pot of commissioned transport, whereby the POPP Transport Co-ordinator can arrange transport for POPP members accessing services or activities. Each of the TOPPs have commissioned £2,250 (£10,000 in total) over the course of the POPP pilot. Depending on the relevant circumstances, the transport solution that is delivered by the POPP Transport Co-ordinator can vary. It has been an essential source of funding which has enabled creative transport solutions to be devised. As an example, where an individual wishes to travel to a particular location to access services or activity, the Transport Co-ordinator might arrange for the person to travel using the VDS, or Ring and Ride, or Local Link. It could also mean paying for a private hire taxi to take the individual to and from their destination. However, if there are a group of people living in a particular location who wish to access a service, perhaps on a regular basis, then this might involve hiring a 16 seat vehicle as a separate
piece of commissioned work (see section below, Commissioning of Township- wide Transportation Services).
Commissioning of Township-wide transportation services
These types of commissioning have been vital in enabling POPP members to access services and activities in different parts of the Townships in which they live. Within Rochdale TOPP, for example, POPP members have been able to access Tai Chi and Luncheon Clubs at Meadowfields Community Centre through commissioned funding. Within Middleton TOPP, commissioned transport from GMPTE has enabled POPP members to take part in IT classes and Gentle Exercise. Within Pennines TOPP, commissioned transport from GMPTE has enabled POPP members to attend Luncheon Clubs (at Meadowfields and St Andrews Church), a Friendship Club at Dearnley, and IT lessons at Hollingworth. Without these commissioned services, POPP members would not have been able to participate in these activities, and so would not have benefited from the social, health and well-being opportunities afforded by them.
Using TOPP underspend to develop Borough-wide befriending scheme
Because it became evident that there was a risk of underspending on the